The short answer
Buy pellets certified ENplus A1, check the bag for dust and broken pellets, and store them indoors, off the floor, in a dry room away from damp walls. Keep opened bags sealed. Damp or poor-quality pellets cause more ash, clinker and smoke, ignition problems and more frequent cleaning.
Why pellet quality matters
A pellet stove is designed for a particular fuel. When the pellets match, the stove lights reliably, burns cleanly and leaves little ash. When they do not, you get:
- more ash, so the burn pot fills faster,
- clinker, hard lumps of fused ash that block the air holes in the burn pot,
- more smoke and soot on the glass and in the flue,
- ignition failures and error codes,
- more frequent cleaning and servicing.
If your stove is struggling to light, pellets are one of the first things to check. See why a pellet stove won’t light.
What ENplus A1 tells you
ENplus is a widely used certification for wood pellets. Pellets carrying the A1 class are made to the scheme’s tightest limits on things such as ash content, moisture and durability. For most home pellet stoves, ENplus A1 is a good default.
What it does not tell you is whether that particular bag was stored well before you bought it. A certified pellet that has sat in a damp warehouse or on a wet floor will still perform badly.
Always check your stove’s manual for the fuel it specifies. Some manufacturers name a standard or class. Follow that.
Signs of poor-quality pellets
Open a bag and look:
- Lots of dust and fines at the bottom. Some is normal. A thick layer means the pellets are breaking down.
- Uneven length. Very long or very short pellets can feed unevenly.
- Crumbly or cracked surfaces. Good pellets are smooth and slightly shiny.
- A damp or musty smell, or pellets that feel soft.
- Dark spots or mixed colours, which can mean bark or other material.
When burning, watch for:
- more ash than usual,
- clinker in the burn pot,
- dark, smoky flames and glass that blackens quickly.
Better pellets, less cleaning
Clean-burning pellets leave less ash and soot. That means less daily emptying, cleaner glass and less build-up in the flue and exhaust path. It does not remove the need for regular cleaning and an annual service, but it makes both easier. See our pellet stove cleaning guide.
Storing pellets in a Maltese home
Malta’s winter is mild but damp. Many older homes have thick stone walls that hold moisture, and humidity indoors can be high in December and January. Pellets absorb that moisture.
Good places
- A dry indoor room or cupboard, ideally one you heat.
- On a pallet, shelf or plastic crate, off the floor.
- Away from external walls, especially ones with rising damp or condensation.
- Somewhere you can reach easily, so you are not carrying bags up and down stairs in the rain.
Places to avoid
- Garages, which are often damp, unheated and prone to water coming under the door.
- Basements and cellars, where humidity is highest.
- Roof washrooms, which can leak or get condensation, and which mean carrying bags across a wet roof.
- Balconies and yards, even under cover. Rain and sea air get in.
Stack and seal
- Stack bags on their side, off the floor, with air around the stack.
- Do not stack higher than is safe to lift from.
- Seal opened bags with a clip or tape, or pour them into a lidded plastic bin.
- Use older bags first.
Buying for the season
Pellet supply in Malta can be tighter in the middle of winter. Buying enough for the season in early autumn, and storing it properly, avoids running out during a cold spell. Only buy what you can store dry.
Servicing and sweeping
Even with good pellets, a pellet stove needs a proper service once a year, before the season, and the flue needs sweeping. We arrange pellet stove servicing and chimney sweeping across Malta and Gozo. Book in September or October to beat the winter rush.
If you are still deciding between a pellet stove, a wood burner and an open fire, see open fireplace, wood burner or pellet stove.